


Saving Cats & Writing Books

by waddles



Category: X-Men, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, And Erik knows how to piss him off, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Author! Charles, Charles has a bad temper, Edie - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Firefighter! Erik, Fluff, M/M, Mutant Husbands, You know I love these AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-15 02:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14782113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waddles/pseuds/waddles
Summary: A modern day AU where Charles is a famous author and Erik is his firefighter husband... and this is their life.





	1. Again, Erik, really?

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy! X

“No, of course. That’s fine.” Charles gritted into his late father’s phone whilst clenching at its wire.

“Really?” The voice on the other end whirred, “I’m glad, I thought you would be-” 

“You thought I would be what exactly? Angry?” He gave a maniacal laugh. “Angry that my husband of four years has postponed our dinner plans again? Why ever would you think that my darling Erik?” There was silence on the line for a moment and Charles used this time to soften his death grip on the phone.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s what you always say…Do you even mean it?”

“You know I do; you also know I have to do my job. I’m sorry Charles, I love you.”

“I love you too,” He sighed. “Be safe.”

“Always.” The unmistakable click of a phone being hung up rang in Charles’ ears. He slammed the phone down into its holder. 

“That bastard! That awful German twat! Again Charles, yet again has he deserted you! To what? To save some cat stuck up a tree? Bollocks.” He pulled a kitchen chair out and the wood creaked against the tile; throwing himself down onto it, Charles screamed a dignified scream into his ink covered hands. “He’s lucky that I love him.” The brunet man said to the empty home.

 

The night had creeped around quickly, pouncing onto the sky and dying it black.  
This was the backdrop Erik often found himself driving home to. The car’s soft orange glow illuminating the dark; filling Erik’s head with remembrance of who was undoubtedly pissed at him. Erik held back the temptation to drop his head onto the steering wheel and to let fate drive instead but no, tonight he had an argument to look forward to. Erik sighed; looked towards the dashboard and swore. It was one o’clock in the morning. This either meant that Charles was furiously typing away at his laptop, staring blankly at a white blank page or fast asleep in the middle of their bed.  
‘Tomorrow he’ll call me a bastard and I’ll make him breakfast in bed.’ The image of a sleepy Charles waving a slice of buttered toast around as he explained the big conspiracy twist he was writing into the sequel to the hit novel he’d written two years ago to Erik filled his thoughts. Yes, that sounded perfect. Erik pulled into their driveway and got out of the car.

 

Erik instead found Charles with freshly brimmed tears in his eyes, staring down in Erik’s signed copy of Charles’ first book.  
-

There he was, Charles Xavier. He was sitting primly at a small table in the vast bookshop.  
How dare he.  
Suddenly Erik found himself at the front of the book signing queue and he not so delicately slammed the book onto the table. The author jumped slightly.

“How dare you-”

“Excuse me sir?”

“You killed Amanda!” This seemed to make Xavier laugh, face flushing. “No! No! She had just found happiness for once in her life and you murdered her.” Erik held the book aloft, ‘The Murder of Amanda Williams’. It’s glossy cover shiny in the light of the bookshop.

“I’m awfully sorry to hear how her death has affected you…”

“Erik”

“Erik,” The author smiled. “But I am glad to see how passionate you feel over her death.” Charles took his copy and signed it with his number and the usual signature. “I would love to explain to you why she had to die, other than it being in the title.” With this Erik nodded, took his copy back and being only slightly embarrassed at his outburst, strided out.

-

“I still don’t think she should have died.” Charles gasped, having not heard Erik come in and put the book down before crossing his arms and turning away from his husband.  
Instead of retreating Erik came over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “What are you thinking about?”

“How much of a bastard you are.” And check.

“Liebling.” Erik groaned, frustrated; the tired firefighter flopped back onto the sofa.

There was a long silence between them before Charles sighed, giving in.  
“I just think it’s funny how,” Erik lifted his head to look at his partner; the bone deep exhaustion having already crawled its way into his sharp eyes, they were bitten by bloodshot and marked by dark circles. Charles shook his head. “Let’s just go to bed, we can talk in the morning.” Charles pawed at Erik’s civilian “uniform” and pushed the t-shirt above his head then pulled his husband onto his feet.

“Don’t go to bed angry, Charles.” 

“We both need sleep.”

“Darling, I want you to shout at me. Come on, please.” The author raised an eyebrow at his strange partner.

“I’m not going to shout at you Erik, drop it.” 

“I missed dinner again because I was working, Charles.” Charles felt his eye twitch in annoyance but if he shouted at Erik to stop trying to get him to shout, well, Erik would have won.

“If you feel so badly about it perhaps you shouldn’t miss our dinners anymore.” He said, voice leveled; this made Erik narrow his eyes in suspicion. He knew Charles was angry, he just needed to pry it a bit further and expose it.

“Do you even respect my duties as a firefighter?” Erik inwardly flinched as Charles slowly turned around. Button successfully pushed, the inherited Xavier temper officially released.

“You know what? Fuck you! You want to know why I’m so fucking pissed off with you Erik? Because I miss you!” Charles hissed at him as Erik toed his shoes off, following Charles’ stomp up the stairs. “I cannot believe you would ask me that! You bitch of a man! I support you so much! What you do for our community is so amazing and selfless but surprisingly after hours I would like to see you! Especially when you have made a promise to me that you would come, when you look into my fucking eyes and tell me that you will.” He breathed deeply and composed himself, realising that at some point in his rant he had walked into their bedroom and had started aggressively fluffing a pillow.

“I can’t promise I won’t miss anymore dinners but I will try my best to leave on time, darling. I love you so much and I’m so sorry that I’ve made you feel this way.” Charles sat heavily onto their bed.

“Killing Amanda off was the best thing I have ever done.” Erik came to sit next to his husband. “I love you...but you are a bastard.” Erik chuckled and pressed a kiss onto his temple.

“I love you too.”


	2. Peace & Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik only has one family member left.   
> His husband. 
> 
> -
> 
> Erik mourns his mothers death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can write something other than fluff! I knew it!   
> I’m sorry in advance. (“It’s Waddles though,” You think. “It’s going to be fluff-ridden even if she says it isn’t.”)
> 
> Enjoy! X

Light cut through the gaps between the crisp white blinds, it was a golden orange glow that shone off their bedroom walls. 

Erik was safe; so was Charles. 

The sound of laughter and chattering children could be heard clearly through the open window, it let soft, cool breeze through; it brought the noise of London in too. 

“Erik, darling?” He heard his husband call from his lap where Charles, with his head rested against Erik’s thigh, was reading a leather-bound book. “Hello?” Charles it down before reaching out and taking Erik’s hand. “Look at me.” His clear blue eyes stared into Erik’s glossy blue pair. Down cast and mourning. Erik was almost a perfect liar but his expressive eyes always gave him away. “How are you, darling?” Erik shrugged. “Not good at all, are you?” Charles questioned with a soft tone. Erik nodded as his eyes filled with tears once again. “Oh sweetheart,” Charles sat up, now facing his husband. “I wish I knew what to say.” He looked perfect in the golden light. His eyes, his lips, his unblemished skin. 

Erik thought of his torn shirt, the shirt he had been wearing when he’d heard his mother had died. ("Baruch Dayan HaEmet.") Erik had got home from work to find his husband standing in front of the door with tears running down his face. Erik looked towards the old phone Charles had inherited from his father only to find it swinging on it’s red wire. The only sound that filled the house was the dial tone until he spoke at last. “The hospital called, Edie-”

He was startled out of his memories by a hand stroking the side of his unshaved face and a thumb wiping his tears away. “Charles?”

“I’m here, darling. I know it hurts, get it all out.” He whispered.

“I love you.” Erk choked out. A tear ran down Charles’ face.

“I love you too.”

 

A month later found Erik clean-shaven and in their bedroom, looking out onto the dark street below. Cold air flowed through the slightly ajar window, it bit at his nose; it numbed his senses. London was flooded with the sound of sirens that night. He didn’t hear Charles walk in. Erik always felt more at peace at night, the stillness and silence gave him room to think without being irritated by the presence of strangers. Erik had never been much of a ‘peoples person’; in retrospect, he thought, that was one of the reasons Charles was so perfect for him… Being with him filled with a calmness only his mother and nature could evoke. He felt whole. And as Charles held gently onto him from behind, he knew his heart was on it’s way to healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d love to talk to some of you!   
> For general chats & requests, my Tumblr: The-Wombats
> 
> Thanks! X  
> Waddles

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to message me on my Tumblr: The-Wombats about requests/general chat!  
> Thank you for reading x  
> Waddles


End file.
